Long-term survival following resection of extracompartmental osteosarcoma of the spine – A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND: Osteosarcoma, representing 3% of sarcomas, rarely involves the axial skeleton. The overall 5-year survival is just 18%. Here, we present a 15-year-old female with an extracompartmental osteosarcoma, who following radical spine surgery, chemotherapy, and intensive radiotherapy remained disease-free 15.5 years later. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 15-year-old female presented with an acute right lower extremity monoparesis and T4 relative sensory level attributed to a T4 extracompartmental Osteosarcoma. Following circumferential spine surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, her tumor did not recur over the 15.5-year follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Osteosarcoma rarely presents focally in the spine. When it originates in the spine, there are typically few long-term survivors. Here, we report a 15-year-old female who presented with an acute monoparesis attributed to an extracompartmental T4 spinal osteosarcoma. Following circumferential tumor resection, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the patient remains disease-free 15.5 years later.